


I Remember Better Days

by Krayt_spitter21



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: I also put in some time from when they're in Dallas, I also used some headcanons from the Ikea Mafia Discord, It's Swedes loving hours, This is just about how I though the boys became employed with the commission, no beta we die like ben, spoilers for if you haven't seen the second season, tua spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:21:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25739494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krayt_spitter21/pseuds/Krayt_spitter21
Summary: How exactly did The Swedes come to be employed by the Temps Commission?
Comments: 4
Kudos: 64





	I Remember Better Days

They were 19 when the hit for Axel came. He and his brothers, Otto and Oscar, were working on the automobile in the barn. It was the only one they had and it was the only way to get their catch of fish to the market tomorrow. Oscar, the youngest of the triplets, handed Axel a size 16 socket wrench. Otto scoffed at them.

“You need a 14.” he said.

“Otto, who’s the one under the car? And I told you already, it’s the same problem we had last week, it needs a 16 on the transmission.” Axel spoke from under the car. “Now hold the lamp lower.”

“Yes, but you know what would fix that problem as well? Tightening the case covering with a size 14.” Two were arguing once more.

“Idiots.” Oscar muttered.

He had been listening to this banter for well over an hour now and he was finally fed up with his older brothers. He wiped his oily hands on a nearby rag and walked outside into the Swedish countryside. It was a quiet night on the farm and he idly whistled a tune while walking towards the house. The salty smell of the sea drifted all around him and Oscar had the yearning to go out on the boat again if only to watch the stars.

It was a dark night, however the moon and stars provided enough light for the time being. From the corner of his eye, a strange blue light caught his attention.

Pausing, he looked out into the distance. He could just barely make out two figures, one tall and the other rather short. The taller one was holding what looked like a briefcase. Strange cartoonish masks were on their heads. Oscar wondered if there was a circus of some sort in town. He’d have to convince his siblings to make a day out of it. 

The two figures turned their heads however and all thoughts of a circus left his mind. A chill went down Oscar’s spine; he felt as if they were looking directly into his eyes despite their masks. The short one raised their hand and there was something held tight in it. Suddenly the space in front of the boy exploded with gunfire. Turning, he ran as fast as he could back to the barn, bullets flying behind him.

…….

“Hey, did you hear that?” Otto asked.

“Hear what? Put the lamp closer.”

“It sounded like popcorn?” Otto strode over to the open barn door, lamp in hand.

“Hey!” Axel yelled. Getting out from under the car, he went to his brother and pushed him.

“What part of ‘hold the lamp closer’ don’t you understand?” Otto paid him no mind though as he stared off into the distance.

“Otto!”

“Shut up! Is that Oscar?”

“What?” Axel turned his head to where Otto was pointing and saw his kid brother running at full speed towards them.

“Guns! Get the guns!” they heard him yell.

“What is he doing?” Then at the same time, the two realized what was happening. Axel rushed to the cabinet on the wall and pulled out two rifles and a revolver, handing one of the former to Otto who quickly put out the lamp. They positioned themselves at either side of the open door and waited. 

Oscar came in a moment later and immediately skidded to the floor next to Otto.

“Gunmen, they came out of nowhere.” he said out of breath.

“What do they want?” Otto said beside him.

“I don’t know, they just started shooting.” 

Axel tossed him the revolver and cautiously looked out the door. The rapid fire of a machine gun made him decide that that was a bad idea. The wall above him was soon being riddled with bullet holes. The brothers returned fire. It sounded like a warzone as bullets went flying in both directions, neither side caring about aim.

“We’re out!” Oscar yelled.

“Get behind the car, I’ll cover you!” Axel’s brothers ran towards the car and he started shooting his rifle with a snipers skill. If there was one thing his father taught him before he died, it was how to fish and shoot. He hit the big one in the leg and was about to pull the trigger on his head when it felt like he was punched in the side. Axel was accurate, but not without first taking his time. The force of the bullet threw him harshly to the ground.

“AXEL!” He didn’t know who called his name, and to be quite honest, he didn’t care because the pain suddenly registered to his brain. He put his hand to his side and felt wet blood seep between his fingers. The rapid fire stopped as quickly as it started and the two strangers walked closer to him. A man and woman wearing dark blue suits approached him. Their masks looked like they came out of some circus tent. They started speaking, but Axel couldn’t understand what they were saying.

“This him, Cha Cha?” the man asked his partner in English.

“Looks like it.” The woman named Cha Cha took out a picture and showed it to the man.

“You sure? He’s a triplet, what if we got the wrong one?”

“Hazel if you’re so worried about it, we’ll just kill all of-” She was cut off as Oscar tackled her to the ground, machine gun sliding away from her grasp. Hazel however was prepared and used Otto’s momentum to throw him powerfully to the ground. The wind was knocked out of him and he was left weezing on the floor with a gun pointed at his head.

Oscar was busy with his own fight as he wrestled with Cha Cha when a sharp whistle gained his attention.

“Let her go, or Huey bites it.” 

“Vad?” While Oscar was distracted, Cha Cha twisted and kicked him in the stomach. She pulled a knife from inside her coat, grabbed a fistful of platinum blonde hair, and pressed the blade hard enough to draw blood across the boy’s throat.

“Nej, snälla! Låt dem gå!” (No, please! Let them go!) Axel yelled. His hand was pressed to his side and it hurt to put so much pressure on it, but he knew he’d only bleed out faster if he didn’t. 

“Okay, seriously, what are they saying? Do you speak Sweadish?” Hazel asked his partner.

“A little? I’m rusty though. Vilken av er är Axel?” (Which of you is Axel?) Cha Cha attempted.

“Jag är.”, (I am.) Otto wheezed.

“Nej jag är”, (No, I am.) Axel said through clenched teeth.

“Oh come on.” Cha Cha exclaimed.

“What? What are they saying?”

“They’re both saying they’re Axel.” Cha Cha sighed.

“Ok, so let’s just kill all of them like you said.”

“Yeah, ok.” Cha Cha positioned her blade to make a clean cut.

“Fick portföljen dig hit?” (Did the briefcase get you here?) Oscar whispered, before his throat could be slit. This was the biggest bluff of his life and he was praying to every god he knew to let it work.

“What’d he say?” If Hazel asked one more question, she was going to lose it. Cha Cha decided to ignore him instead.

“Vad vet du om det?” (What do you know about it?)

“Tillräckligt för att din chef ska pissa sig själv.” (Enough to make your boss piss themself.) Cha Cha put the knife away.

“He knows.”

“What? What do you mean he knows? Knows about what?”

“Would you quit asking questions? Look, he knows something about the commission, and I don’t want to do anything before we get confirmation to kill them.”

“Well how are we supposed to do that? There’s no phone here for miles,” Hazel groaned.

“We’ll just take them to HQ. Besides, the good torture room is free today if he’s pulling our chain.”

“Fine, but if we get in trouble, I’m not taking the fall.”

“Oh shut up, and get us out of here.”

“Alright, alright, keep your pants on.” Axel was starting to see dark spots in his vision. Otto was still on the ground trying to get a breath in and Oscar was firmly held within the woman’s grasp. Their grandmother was surely looking away from them in heaven, too horrified to see her boys so beaten. He was about to call out to his brothers to tell them he loved them when a shining blue light blinded him.

It felt as though he was being pulled apart and put back together again as they all traveled through time and space. Suddenly, he was no longer on a dirty wooden floor, but sprawled out on a carpet the color of pale sky.

“Excuse me, but why is there a hunky blonde kid staining my carpet?” The dainty voice was the last thing he heard before he blacked out.

…….

Otto felt like shit. One second, he’s in his barn, wind knocked out of him, a gun pointed at his head and the next he’s in some sort of office? He was also very itchy for some reason. There’s a woman sitting at a desk and she’s dressed in a tight fitting black dress that accentuates her curves. He’d be aroused if he wasn’t so scared. The man named Hazel gets him and Oscar to their knees in front of her. Axel is left bleeding out on the floor next to them.

“Excuse me, but why is there a hunky blonde kid staining my carpet?” The Handler asked.

“Well uh, ya see,” Hazel started.

“This one knows something,” Cha Cha interrupted while shoving Oscar in the shoulder.  
“They’re Swedish.”

The Handler stood up and walked across to the front of the desk. Lighting a cigarette, she looked down at Oscar.

“Hmm, well then, ‘Säg mig liten pojke, vad vet du exakt om den här platsen?’” (Tell me little boy, what exactly do you know about this place?)

“Absolut ingenting, jag vill bara hålla mina bröder vid liv,” he replied. (Absolutely nothing, I only want to keep my brothers alive.)

“Well aren’t you a clever one. He was bluffing, you idiots,” she said, looking to Hazel and Cha Cha. “Vad sägs om att jag gör dig till en affär? Du och dina bröder förblir bland de levande och i utbyte blir du fältagenter här.” (How about I make you a deal? You and your brothers remain among the living and in exchange, you become field agents here.)

“Och var är exakt här?” (And where exactly is here?) Otto demanded.

In English The Handler said, 

“Welcome boys, to the Temps Commission.” Smoke blew from her mouth and Oscar had the strange feeling that he’d never see their boat again.

…….

Axel awoke to a dull ache in his right side. At least he knew what it felt like to be shot now. 

Wait, he was shot? 

He was shot! The memories of what happened came rushing back to him and he frantically opened his eyes. Shooting up in bed, he saw Otto and Oscar in chairs on either side of him. He was in what looked like a hospital, but with machines that he'd never seen before. There was an IV in his arm.

“Oh good, you’re awake.” Otto yawned and stretched his arms.

“Where are we, are you hurt? Where are those crazy people?”

“Calm down, Axel. We're fine. You were the one who got shot, remember?” Axel turned his head to Oscar. He froze. It dawned on him that he and Otto were wearing blue suits not unlike the ones worn by their attackers.

“Oscar, what are you wearing?” he asked cautiously.

“Listen, we have a lot to talk about.”

Three hours went by before Axel could fully comprehend what was happening. He’d been out for a few days and in all that time, his brothers never left his side. Otto explained how Oscar had bluffed his way to Hazel and Cha Cha’s boss and how The Handler had made a deal with them. 

Apparently, Axel was a disruption to “The Timeline” as they put it and a hit was put out on him. To keep the three of them alive, Axel’s idiot brothers agreed to be employed by the Temps Commission as hired guns. Their training officially began once he was cleared for duty.

As such, Axel was soon cleared and the triplets were allowed to live. The three of them would become part of the greatest field agents the Temps Commision had ever seen.

…….

To be quite frank, Axel didn’t mind too much about becoming an assassin. An odd thought, but he remembered how being in the shootout gave him a rush of adrenaline like never before. He liked it. He never had trouble pulling the trigger. The fact that he’d never go back to his own time also didn’t bother him. Being sad fishermen in 1913 was a good living, but now he was part of something bigger than even time itself. 

Otto liked to think that no matter where the Commission took him and his brothers, they were better off than when they were fishermen. He loved his homeland no doubt and he missed his books, but there was a new adventure now. An adventure he was glad to share with his brothers.

Oscar was honestly excited. Everywhere they went there was a whole new culture shock. The different clothes fascinated him and wherever or rather, whenever they went, there were multitudes of animals. He often convinced his brothers to go to a zoo or animal sanctuary before they left for the commission again.

Over the years, they got very good at their job, killing without mercy or remorse. It was a job after all and as long as they were together, it didn’t matter where or when they went. The Swedes, as they were nicknamed, never made any friends; the brothers agreed that they would look out for each other and each other only. No one would ever get the chance to hurt one of them if they could help it.

Fifteen years passed and they became seasoned killers. Axel got quicker with a gun, Otto was given a nasty scar on a job in Bermuda, and Oscar, well, he just really liked to punch people with his brass knuckles every so often.

The Handler would always give them their cases and they would execute them without question. The boys learned to work together and soon enough they didn’t even have to speak to get their points across to each other. Otto seemed to like that immensely; it gave the other employees the creeps and amused him to no end. Herb especially was the most entertaining.

Eventually, the job for Dallas came. It was just supposed to be another quick job. Their target was the infamous Number Five, the Temps’ best agent, as well as his weird, superpowered family. They weren’t intimidated of course, they’d been in the commission for a long time and had been through a lot. Nothing could surprise The Swedes anymore.

…….

Otto and Oscar were dead. Axel’s brothers were dead and he had even killed one with his own hands. He was the oldest, how could he let this happen? He was supposed to protect them. Grandmother told him to look after them before she died. It should have been him. It was supposed to be him. They should have killed him fifteen years ago in Sweden. Maybe then his brothers would still be alive.

Axel put down the picture of him, his brothers and their grandmother. With his right hand he picked up an axe. How could he live with the fact that these were the hands that killed Otto? The hands that sent Oscar to the halls of Valhalla? He was going to do it. He had to. This was all his fault and he didn’t know what else to do. He raised the axe and mentally prepared himself.

His hand was shaking. He could do it. No problem. Just don’t think about it. Think about Otto. About Oscar. He started to breathe hard. Do it, he told himself. Do it now.

Before he could though, the cats in the woman’s house bumped into the trash can, making a mess. The noise caused Axel to look in their direction. He saw the canister he received from the Temp. There was a scratch on it. That caught his full attention. There shouldn’t be a scratch on it. It was made of indestructible metal. He went over to the can and scratched it with the axe. It was nothing but paint on a spray can. Axel went still. It was a fake. The job on Diego was fake. They were never supposed to be in the woods. Oscar shouldn't have died. They didn’t have to go for the other siblings for revenge. Otto shouldn't have died. The Handler lied to them.

He threw the can hard enough to scare the cats as he screamed in frustration. The Handler lied to them and he was going to kill her. No matter what, he was going to kill her. He would get vengeance so help him God.

…..

As he walked along the cold muddy road, he wondered what his life would be like now. He’d never been apart from his family for so long. Axel started to reminisce about his brothers. Otto would never annoy the shit out of him again. Or fall asleep in bed with a book in his hands. Oscar would never convince him to keep the cats or any other stray animal he’d found that day, never look horrified at the others’ fashion choices in whatever time period they were in. Axel would never see their faces smiling at him again. He was alone. Alone and … if he was being completely honest … afraid. There was nothing for him now. Absolutely nothing. 

He supposed that there could be a silver lining hiding somewhere. He could start fresh here. Make a life for himself. 1963 couldn’t be so bad right? Axel didn’t know. For once in his life, he didn’t have a plan. But you know what? He was too tired to think about that now. For now he would walk. Walk and remember better days.

Some time later, he heard the distant roar of an engine. A horn blew and he paused, turning. A colorful bus stopped in front of him. It was the most ridiculous vehicle he’d ever seen, with the colors of the rainbow painted in swirls and patches everywhere. Axel just knew that Oscar would be laughing his ass off at this clown car right now. 

A man dressed in light blue clothes with glasses poked his head out of the sliding door.

“Hey fellow traveller. You need a ride?” He seemed kind and almost… lost.

Axel blinked. You know what? Why the fuck not? It’s not like he had anywhere else to be and maybe they could be lost together. He climbed aboard and the man extended his hand.

“Welcome friend, I’m Keechie and we’re Destiny’s Children.” He said happily.

Axel looked at Keechie’s hand and after a moment, took it. 

“Axel.”

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, hope you guys liked it! The title is from the lyrics of 'Better Days' by Graham Nash. This is my first fic for The Umbrella Academy. Season two was great and I just have to say, I fell in love with The Swedes. Their characters were so cool and they defiantly became my favs of the season. I might write a fix it fic later, but not sure. Bye for now! Oh, and reviews are most certainly welcome!


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